HELEN MERRILL - Helen Merrill, Gil Evans & Clifford Brown (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Don't Explain 5:11
Written-By – A. Herzog, B. Holiday
2    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To 4:18
Written-By – C. Porter
3    What's New 4:59
Written-By – B. Haggart, J. Burke
4    Falling In Love With Love 3:53
Written-By – L. Hart/R. Rodgers
5    Yesterdays 5:58
Written-By – J. Kern, O. Harbach
6    Born To Be Blue 5:13
Written-By – Mel Tormé
7    'S Wonderful 3:13
Written-By – I. & G. Gershwin
8    He Was Too Good For Me 3:02
Written-By – L. Hart/R. Rodgers
9    I've Never Seen 3:33
Written-By – Marcotte, D. Cockran
10    I'm A Fool To Want You 4:07
Written-By – F. Sinatra, J. Wolf, S. Harnon
11    Troubled Waters 3:14
Written-By – A. Johnston, S. Coslow
12    By Myself 3:23
Written-By – H. Dietz/A. Schwartz
13    People Will Say We're In Love 2:34
Written-By – R. Rodgers/O. Hammerstein II
14    You're Lucky To Me 3:26
Written-By – A. Razaf, E. Blake
15    Dream Of You 2:52
Written-By – S. Oliver
Credits :
Bass – Milt Hinton (pistas: 1, 2, 6, 7), Oscar Pettiford (pistas: 12 to 15)
Clarinet – John LaPorta (pistas: 12 to 15)
Conductor, Arranged By – Gil Evans (pistas: 8 to 15)
Drums – Joe Morello (pistas: 12 to 15), Osie Johnson (pistas: 1, 2, 6, 7)
Flute – Danny Bank (pistas: 1 to 7)
Guitar – Barry Galbraith
Piano – Hank Jones (pistas: 8 to 15), Jimmy Jones (pistas: 1 to 7)
Producer – Quincy Jones (pistas: 1, 2, 6, 7)
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland (pistas: 12 to 15)
Trumpet – Art Farmer (pistas: 12 to 15), Clifford Brown, Louis Mucci (pistas: 12 to 15)
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - The Complete Helen Merrill on Mercury (1954-1958) 4CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This four-LP box set, whose contents have been partly reissued on CD, has all of singer Helen Merrill's output for Mercury; only two selections for the Roost label in 1953 precede these definitive recordings. Merrill, whose warm voice was always both distinctive and flexible, could hold her own with the best jazz musicians of the era. Best known of her recordings are her classic collaborations with Clifford Brown on seven selections arranged by Quincy Jones (including "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and "Falling in Love With Love"), but almost as significant was a notable album on which she employed the little-known Gil Evans as arranger, a year before he teamed up with Miles Davis for Miles Ahead. Other Mercury dates include work with the Johnny Richards Orchestra, arranger Hal Mooney, flutist Bobby Jaspar, and pianist Bill Evans. Highlights include "Glad to Be Unhappy," "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year," "Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home," "Where Flamingos Fly," and "The Things We Did Last Summer," but all 62 selections are well worth hearing. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist 1 :
1     Alone Together 3:14
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz    
2     Alone Together 3:12
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz    
3     Glad to Be Unhappy 2:49
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
4     This Is My Night to Cry 3:10
Phil Medley / Bill Sandford    
5     How's the World Treating You 0:03
Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant    
6     How's the World Treating You 2:58
Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant    
7     Don't Explain 5:13
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.    
8     Born to Be Blue 5:13     
Mel Tormé / Robert Wells    
9     You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 4:18
Cole Porter    
10     'S Wonderful 3:12
George Gershwin    
11     Yesterdays 6:02
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern    
12     Falling in Love With Love 3:53     
Richard Rodgers    
13     What's New 4:57
Johnny Burke / Robert Haggart
Tracklist 2 :
1     You Won't Forget Me 3:07
Kermit Goell / Fred Spielman
2     Lilac Wine 4:23
James Shelton    
3     Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year 3:49
Frank Loesser    
4     Beautiful Love 3:13
Haven Gillespie / Wayne King / Egbert VanAlstyne / Victor Young
5     Just You Just Me 3:35
John W. Green / Raymond Klages    
6     When I Fall in Love 3:21
Edward Heyman / Victor Young    
7     End of a Love Affair 3:24
Edward C. Redding    
8     Mountain High, Valley Low 2:59
Bernie Hanighen    
9     Anything Goes 3:05
Cole Porter    
10     Comes Love 2:59
Lew Brown / Sam H. Stept / Charles Tobias
11     I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is Over 4:01
Herbert Magidson / Allie Wrubel    
12     Wait Till You See Him 3:23
Richard Rodgers    
13     He Was Too Good to Me 3:02
Richard Rodgers    
14     I've Never Seen 3:33
Dorcas Cochran / Don Marcotte    
15     I'm a Fool to Want You 4:07     
Joel Herron / Frank Sinatra / Jack Wolf
16     Troubled Waters 3:14
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
Tracklist 3 :
1     Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home 4:12
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer    
2     Where Flamingos Fly 2:46
John Brooks / Harold Courlander / Elthea Peale
3     I'm Just a Lucky So and So 3:09
Mack David / Duke Ellington    
4     A New Town Is a Blue Town 3:12
Richard Adler / Jerry Ross    
5     By Myself 3:23
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz    
6     People Will Say We're in Love 2:34
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers    
7     You're Lucky to Me 3:26
James Hubert Blake    
8     Dream of You 2:55
Jimmie Lunceford / Edward Moran / Sy Oliver
9     Blue Guitar 2:52
Lawrence Coleman    
10     Listen 2:40
Jean Broussolle / Gilbert Bécaud    
11     I'll Be Around 2:46
Alec Wilder    
12     Soft as Spring 3:14
Cole Porter    
13     If I Forget You 3:20
Irving Caesar    
14     After You 3:03
Cole Porter    
15     It's a Lazy Afternoon 3:07
John Latouche / Jerome Moross
Tracklist 4 :
1     If You Go 3:10
Michel Emer    
2     If Love Were All 3:07
Noël Coward    
3     If Love Were All 3:05
Noël Coward    
4     Easy Come, Easy Go 3:43
John W. Green / Edward Heyman    
5     The Things We Did Last Summer 3:06
Jule Styne    
6     Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair 2:52
Traditional    
7     I See Your Face Before Me 2:39
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz    
8     I Remember You 2:08
Victor Schertzinger    
9     Softly as in the Morning Sunrise 3:18
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
10     Bye Bye Blackbird 2:56
Ray Henderson    
11     This Time the Dreams on Me 2:18
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer    
12     Dearly Beloved 2:05
Jerome Kern    
13     Summertime 3:28
George Gershwin / Dorothy Heyward    
14     Let Me Love You 2:49
Bart Howard    
15     When the Sun Comes Out 4:49
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler    
16     All of You 3:29
Cole Porter
17     The Nearness of You 4:05
Cole Porter    
18     Just Imagine 3:21
Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva / Ray Henderson
All Credits

HELEN MERRILL - Parole e Musica (1961-1998) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Though she had been active since the 1940s -- while still a teenager -- vocalist Helen Merrill finally came to prominence in the 1950s through her recordings for EmArcy. By the end of the decade, she was rightfully known as one of the great American jazz singers. She toured Europe and headlined the Comblain la Tour Jazz Festival in 1960, and lived and worked in Italy for a few years. Composer/arranger Piero Umiliani convinced her to record a television program called Moderato Swing. When she agreed, he assembled a top-flight cast of Italian jazzmen -- some of whom were also composers -- to back her. This set compiles the music from that program. Merrill is backed by either a sextet or quartet. The interplay between her and Umiliani and his bands is instinctive. A fingerpopping reading of "Night and Day" features slippery electric guitar from the great Enzo Grillini, and "Everything Happens to Me" is one of the finest readings she ever recorded -- in no small part due to Umiliani's ethereal arrangement that includes his celeste playing. Her performance of "You Don't Know What Love Is" is startling. Umiliani's arrangement encourages the singer to leave all sentiment out of her delivery. She does so and replaces it with a brooding noir-ish sense of longing so intense that it implies menace. Nino Culasso's lyric muted trumpet solo underscores that tension. Umiliani's reputation for finding the poetic in a melody is on full display in "April in Paris," framed by his celeste and Tonino Ferrelli's expressive bassline supporting the sublimated desire in Merrill's vocal. The darkness in her voice had largely gone unnoticed by American producers to that point, but is highlighted here. The last three performances here, "Solitude," "Willow Weep for Me," and "When Your Lover Has Gone," come from out of the blues to wrap themselves around the words and dig deeply into the grain of the emotions they express. This set is appended by Fernando Cajati reading the lyrics in Italian between each song. Anglo listeners might initially find this a distraction, but upon repeated listening will find it adds holistically to the feel of the set. On Parole e Musica, the collaboration between Merrill and Umiliani is nothing short of sublime, and it also gives rise to a question: What might they have achieved had they worked together longer? Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    1:04
2    Night And Day 3:04
Written-By – C. Porter
3    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    1:18
4    Everything Happens To Me 2:31
Written-By – M. Dennis, T. Adair
5    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    0:52
6    Autumn In New York 2:35
Written-By – V. Duke
7    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    0:53
8    Why Don't You Do Right 2:20
Written-By – J. McCoy
9    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    0:53
10    You Don't Know What Love Is 2:58
Written-By – D. Raye, G. DePaul
11    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    1:43
12    These Foolish Things 3:29
Written-By – Maschwitz, Link, Strachey
13    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    0:39
14    April In Paris 3:14
Written-By – E.Y. Harburg, V. Duke
15    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    1:13
16    I've Got You Under My Skin 3:06
Written-By – C. Porter
17    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    0:51
18    Solitude 2:24
Written-By – Ellington, De Lange, Mills
19    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    1:33
20    Willow Weep For Me 2:49
Written-By – A. Ronell
21    Spoken Lyrics In Italian    0:47
22    When Your Lover Has Gone 2:11
Written-By – E. A. Swan

HELEN MERRILL - Helen Merrill (1955-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Though she eventually came to be known as a "singer's singer," Helen Merrill's 1954 debut is an unmitigated success of mainstream jazz. Besides introducing the uniquely talented young singer, the date also featured small-group arrangements by Quincy Jones and marks the introduction of another future star, trumpeter Clifford Brown. Formidable as his playing is, Brown never overshadows Merrill. She is fully up to the challenge on all fronts and enthusiastically tackles uptempo numbers such as "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and "Falling in Love with Love" with aplomb. A winning stylistic combination of cool jazz and hard bop, Merrill particularly excels on Mel Tormé's "Born to Be Blue," making the sophisticated tune her own as she revels in Tormé's down-and-out lyric. Richard Mortifoglio
Tracklist :
1     Don't Explain 5:08
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.     
2     You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 4:17
Cole Porter    
3     What's New? 4:56
Johnny Burke / Bob Haggart    
4     Falling in Love with Love 3:52
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
5     Yesterdays 5:56
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern    
6     Born to Be Blue 5:12
Al Hoffman / Abner Silver    
7    'S Wonderful 3:12
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
Credits :    
Bass – Milt Hinton
Bass, Cello – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Bob Donaldson, Osie Johnson
Flute – Donny Banks
Guitar – Barry Galbraith
Piano – Jimmy Jones
Producer, Arranged By, Liner Notes – Quincy Jones
Trumpet – Clifford Brown
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - Dream of You (1956-1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One thing that set Helen Merrill apart from other '50s jazz singers was her acutely dramatic vocal style. Her earnest phrasing, elongated notes, and incandescent tone might even strike the contemporary listener as qualities more appropriate for the Broadway stage than a jazz club. On 1955's Dream of You, though, Merrill found reconciliation, sounding both melodramatic and swinging within Gil Evans' darkly spacious, yet economical arrangements. Suitably, torchy ballads are prominent. On the somewhat grandiose side there's "Where Flamingos Fly" and "I'm a Fool to Want You," which find Merrill in a pensive mood amidst a variety of tempo and timbre shifts. More subdued ground is covered on "I've Never Seen" and "He Was Too Good to Me." Briskly swinging numbers like "People Will Say We're in Love," "By Myself," and "You're Lucky to Me" balance the program and feature the demure, yet fluid delivery Merrill favored on fast numbers. What is most impressive on this date is a group of sultry, medium tempo numbers including "Anyplace I Lay My Hat Is Home," "Just a Lucky So and So," and in particular "A New Town Is a Blue Town." The programmatic quality of Merrill's coyly sensual voice and Evans' slightly askew, bubbling reeds and languid rhythm conjure up dramatic, balmy southern scenes á la Tennessee Williams. In the picturesque arrangements one also hears the seeds of Evans' own future collaborations with Miles Davis. Even though her collaborations with Clifford Brown and others are great recordings, this one with Gil Evans shows off more of Merrill's expressive vocal talents, due in no small part to the sympathetic and urbane arrangements. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     People Will Say We're in Love 2'36
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
2     By Myself 3'25
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
3     Any Place I Hang My Hat Is My Home 4'11
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
4     I've Never Seen 3'34
D. Cockran / Don Marcotte    
5     He Was Too Good to Me 3'33
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
6     A New Town Is a Blue Town 3'10
Richard Adler / Jerry Ross    
7     You're Lucky to Me 3'27
James Hubert Blake / Andy Razaf    
8     Where Flamingos Fly 2'46
John Brooks / Harold Courlander / Elthea Peale
9     Dream of You 2'55
Sy Oliver    
10     I'm a Fool to Want You 4'08
Joel Herron / Frank Sinatra / Jack Wolf
11     I'm Just a Lucky So and So 3'09
Mack David / Duke Ellington    
12     Troubled Waters 3'17
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – John Laporta (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 11)
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Jerome Richardson (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 11)
Arranged By, Conductor – Gil Evans (tracks: 1 to 12)
Bass – Oscar Pettiford (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 9)
Bass Saxophone – Danny Banks (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 11)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – John Laporta (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 9)
Drums – Joe Morello (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 9)
Guitar – Barry Garbraith (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12)
Piano – Hank Jones (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12)
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 9), Joe Bennett (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 11)
Trumpet – Art Farmer (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 9), Louis Mucci (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 9)
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - The Nearness of You (1958-1986) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Alternately breathy and atmospheric or bright and dynamic, Helen Merrill often reaches a bit too far on The Nearness of You, though her distinct style and strong personality may be refreshing to vocal fans tired of the standard versions of standards. Leading two separate sextets -- the rather more famous one, with Bill Evans, Bobby Jaspar, Oscar Pettiford, and Jo Jones, appears on only four tracks -- Merrill breezes over a raft of mid-tempo standards, with several detours through high-drama territory. Her powerful voice occasionally gets her into trouble, breaking from breathy to brash and often occupying a rather awkward middle ground. Still, her ebullient tone and playful way with "Bye, Bye Blackbird," "Let Me Love You," and "All of You" is a treat to hear, and flutist Mike Simpson cuts it up behind her as well. Merrill really shines on the darker material, with just a plucked bass to accompany her on "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise," and a similarly spare accompaniment on a long, drawn-out tribute to "Summertime" and "I See Your Face Before Me." John Bush
Tracklist :
1    Bye Bye Blackbird 2:58
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
2    When The Sun Comes Out 4:48
Double Bass – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Jo Jones
Flute – Bobby Jaspar
Guitar – George Russell
Piano – Bill Evans
3    I Remember You 2:11
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
4    Softly As In A Morning Sunrise 3:21
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
5    Dearly Beloved 2:07
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
6    Summertime 3:29
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
7    All Of You 3:33
Double Bass – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Jo Jones
Flute – Bobby Jaspar
Guitar – George Russell
Piano – Bill Evans
8    I See Your Face Before Me 2:41
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
9    Let Me Love You 2:49
Double Bass – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Jo Jones
Flute – Bobby Jaspar
Guitar – George Russell
Piano – Bill Evans
10    The Nearness Of You 4:05
Double Bass – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Jo Jones
Flute – Bobby Jaspar
Guitar – George Russell
Piano – Bill Evans
11    This Time The Dream's On Me 2:22
Double Bass – Johnny Frigo
Drums – Jerry Slosberg
Flute – Mike Simpson
Guitar – Fred Rundquist
Piano – Dick Marx
12    Just Imagine 3:23
Double Bass – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Jo Jones
Flute – Bobby Jaspar
Guitar – George Russell
Piano – Bill Evans

HELEN MERRILL - The Artistry of Helen Merrill (1965-2014) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This is a rare Helen Merrill folk-oriented album from 1965, with songs from all over the world. Perhaps it was her Croatian upbringing, but very few jazz singers sound as natural singing non-jazz material as Merrill does. She sounds just like herself (which she always does anyway), with no particular adjustment to a straighter idiom, as if she had to shed herself of jazz sophistication in order to become more "innocent." Highlights include the quasi-folk bossa nova "Quiet Nights" and "Itsi No Komoriuta." The great Charlie Byrd is on board, to provide the requisite acoustic accompaniment, as is Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet. Richard Mortifoglio
Tracklist :
1    Quiet Nights (Corcavado) 2:44
2    Careless Love 3:30
3    Scarlet Ribbons 3:01
4    The House Of The Rising Sun 2:37
5    I Left My Heart Behind 2:20
6    Cannetella 2:18
7    The River (Sciummo) 2:58
8    Minha Rocca 2:29
9    Itsi No Komoriuta 2:18
10    Forbidden Games 2:35
11    John Anderson, My Love 2:07
Credits
Keter Betts,  Teddy Kotick - Bass
Charlie Byrd, Jimmy Raney - Guitar
Jimmy Giuffre - Clarinet
Osie Johnson - Drums
Hal McKusick - Flute
Helen Merrill - Vocals
 

HELEN MERRILL - Helen Merrill Sings Screen Favorites (1968-2004) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Three Coins in the Fountain 3'26
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne    
2     To Love Again 3'18
George Sidney / Morris Stoloff / Ned Washington
3    Theme 3'23
Allen / Dunning
4     The Third Man Theme 2'49
Anton Karas    
5     East of Eden 2'44
Helen Merrill    
6     Boy on a Dolphin 3'54
Paul Francis Webster
7    Forbidden Games 3'01
Marc Lanjean    
8     Under Paris Skies 2'42
Kim Gannon / Hubert Giraud
9     I Will Wait for You 4'15
Norman Gimbel / Michel Legrand
10     Love Theme  2'32
(Traveling Down the Lonely Road)
11     Mack the Knife 3'09
Marc Blitzstein / Kurt Weill    
12     Summertime in Venice 3'15
Carl Sigman
Credits :    
Arranged By, Conductor [Conducted By] – Norio Maeda
Band – Takeshi Inomata And Westliners Plus All-stars
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL | DICK KATZ - The Feeling Is Mutual (1965-1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1965 album is the first of two great sessions for Milestone that the pianist Dick Katz arranged for Helen Merrill soon after she returned to New York from a triumphant second career in Japan and Italy. THE FEELING IS MUTUAL is a somewhat darker-hued affair than the gem-like A SHADE OF DIFFERENCE though many of the same fine musicians (Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Thad Jones, Elvin Jones) are on board. Heavily influenced by MJQ leader John Lewis, Katz's carefully calibrated approach is designed to effectively showcase Merrill's vocal artistry. Highlights include "Here's That Rainy Day," a reprise of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain" from Merrill's still classic 1954 debut, and the magical "Deep In A Dream," which closes the album with the lyrically apt accompaniment of Jim Hall on guitar. Richard Mortifoglio
Tracklist :
1    You're My Thrill 3'16
Sidney Clare / Jay Gorney
2    It Don't Mean a Thing 4'58
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
3    Here's That Rainy Day 2'41
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
4    Baltimore Oriole 4'50
Hoagy Carmichael / Paul Francis Webster
5    Don't Explain 3'37
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.
6    What Is This Thing Called Love? 3'40
Cole Porter
7    The Winter of My Discontent 6'01
Tom Berenger / Alec Wilder
8    Day Dream 5'15
Duke Ellington / John Latouche / Billy Strayhorn
9    Deep in a Dream 3'16
Eddie DeLange / James Van Heusen
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter (pistas: 1, 2, 4 to 8)
Cornet – Thad Jones (pistas: 2, 4 to 8)
Drums – Arnie Wise (pistas: 4, 7), Pete LaRoca (pistas: 2, 5, 6, 8)
Guitar – Jim Hall (pistas: 2, 4 to 9)
Producer, Arranged By, Coordinator [Musical Coordination], Piano (pistas: 1 to 8) – Dick Katz
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL | DICK KATZ - A Shade Of Difference (1968-1998) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Originally put out by the Milestone label and later reissued by Landmark, this is a superior and consistently surprising effort by singer Helen Merrill. With arrangements provided by pianist Dick Katz and adventurous yet sympathetic playing by Thad Jones on flugelhorn and cornet, flutist Hubert Laws, altoist Gary Bartz (who is only on Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman"), Katz, guitarist Jim Hall, either Ron Carter or Richard Davis, on bass and drummer Elvin Jones, this is a particularly strong jazz vocal date. Merrill's voice was at its prime during the era, and her ability to tackle a wide repertoire and to bring new life to standards (including taking "My Funny Valentine" as a fairly free duet with Ron Carter) makes this a highly recommended effort. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Lonely Woman 3'34
Written-By – Guryan, Coleman
2    While We're Young 2'47
Written-By – Wilder, Palitz, Engvick
3    Never Will I Marry 4'57
Written-By – Franck Loesser
4    I Should Care 4'11
Written-By – Stordahl, Weston, Cahn
5    A Lady Must Live 4'44
Written-By – Rodgers And Hart
6    I Want A Little Boy 3'15
Written-By – L. Moll, M. Mencher
7    Spring Can Really Hang You 6'37
Written-By – Landesman, Wolf
8    My Funny Valentine 2'20
Written-By – Rodgers And Hart
9    Lover Come Back To Me4'57
Written-By – Hammerstein, Romberg
10    Where Do You Go ? 2'21
Written-By – Wilder, Sundgaard
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Gary Bartz (tracks: 1)
Arranged,  Producer, Piano, (tracks: 1, 3 to 7, 9) - Dick Katz
Bass – Richard Davis (tracks: 1), Ron Carter (tracks: 2 to 10)
Cornet – Thad Jones (tracks: 1)
Drums – Elvin Jones (tracks: 1 to 7, 9)
Flugelhorn – Thad Jones (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 9)
Flute – Hubert Laws (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
Guitar – Jim Hall (tracks: 1 to 7, 9, 10)
Liner Notes – Marian McPartland
Producer, Liner Notes – Orrin Keepnews
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - Helen Merrill Sings The Beatles (1970-2004) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Helen Merrill's dark, smoky voice and rangy interpretive powers gave her the opportunity to shine with many types of material; for this 1970 date she leads a small Japanese group celebrating the Lennon/McCartney canon, in an experiment that's not merely successful but immensely pleasurable. The material focuses on two distinct Beatles periods (1965-1966 and 1968-1969), and Merrill studiously avoids many of the standards that older artists were then latching onto. ("Something," the consummate Beatles standard for non-rock vocalists, is conspicuously absent.) Instead, Merrill dwells on McCartney and Lennon as masters of lyrical, introspective songcraft, choosing for her tribute the drowsy, contemplative songs "Here, There and Everywhere," "And I Love Him," "Let It Be," "Golden Slumbers," "In My Life," and so forth. Most of the versions are stretched out by her small band, nearly always for good; only "The Word" sounds downright embarrassing in a brassy, jazz-funk arrangement. It's always Merrill's performances, though, that make this record a success. One of vocal music's finest free-form interpreters, she records versions neither rote nor experimental, ones that remember the originals but add much to their feel and harmonics (always an important quality when you face the prospect of covering 12 of the most memorized performances in recording history). Really, no other jazz vocalist could survive -- and thrive -- like this: recording abstract arrangements of a rock songbook in Tokyo in 1970 with a band whose easily dateable arrangements occasionally threaten their talent. She even finds subtle ways to succeed with the straight-ahead rocker "Lady Madonna." John Bush  
Tracklist :
1     Let It Be 4:16
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
2     Lady Madonna 3:14
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
3     Because 3:17
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
4     The Word 4:43
John Lennon / Paul McCartney    
5     Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 5:14
John Lennon / Paul McCartney    
6     Here There and Everywhere 2:54
John Lennon / Paul McCartney    
7     Golden Slumers 3:13
John Lennon / Paul McCartney    
8     And I Love Him 2:28
John Lennon / Paul McCartney    
9     In My Life 3:12
John Lennon / Paul McCartney    
10     Mother Nature's Son 2:44
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
11     If I Fell 3:30
John Lennon / Paul McCartney     
12     I Want You 0:43
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Credits :
Arranged By, Piano – Masahiko Sato
Bass – Yasuo Arakawa
Drums – Takeshi Inomata
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL WITH GARY PEACOCK TRIO - Sposin (1971) lp | 24bits-48hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Side A
1    The Thrill Is Gone    7:11
2    My Man    4:29
3    If You Could See Me Now    5:48
Side B
1    Sposin'    1:59
2    In A Sentimental Mood-Once Upon A Summertime    5:38
3    Angel Eyes    5:53
4    Until It's Time For You To Go    6:44
Credits :
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Motohiko Hino
Piano – Masahiko Satoh
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL + RON CARTER - Duets (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Singer Helen Merrill and bassist Ron Carter explore 11 standards and an original apiece on this intimate and generally enjoyable set. There is not a great deal of variety, and Merrill's voice has sounded stronger elsewhere, but their versions of "I Fall in Love Too Easily," "A Child Is Born," "Autumn Leaves," and "There Is No Greater Love" are memorable. One certainly has to admire Merrill's constant desire to take chances in her recordings. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     I Fall in Love Too Easily 3'11
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
2     A Child Is Born 5'35
Thad Jones / Alec Wilder
3     Come Home Again 2'30
Helen Merrill / Torrie Zito
4     Little Waltz 4'1
Ron Carter
5     You and the Night and the Music 2'20
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
6     Autumn Leaves 2'48
Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
7     Come Rain or Come Shine 2'34
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
8     In a Mellow Tone 2'49
Duke Ellington / Milt Gabler
9     The Summer Knows 3'26
Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / Michel Legrand
10     There Is No Greater Love 4'05
Isham Jones / Marty Symes
11     Lover Man 5'00
Jimmie Davis / Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / James Sherman / Jimmy Sherman
12     My Funny Valenntine 4'17
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers     
13     I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You 6'17
Bing Crosby / Ned Washington / Victor Young
Credits :
Arranged By, Producer, Bass – Ron Carter
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Percussion – Victor See-Yuen
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - Casa Forte (1980-2011) RM | HQCD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Helen Merrill is in top form throughout this 1980 session, backed by pianist Torrie Zito's thoughtful arrangements. Merrill, who improvises like a member of the band, always knows the possibilities within each song she performs and finds a way to make it her own. A good part of the LP includes bossa nova tunes, highlighted by her deliberate lyrical treatment of "Wave," in which Zito is her sole accompanist. Her silken voice is wrapped in strings for the lush takes of "So Many Stars" and "Like a Lover," with Bucky Pizzarelli providing the perfect touch on guitar. "Natural Sounds" is an unjust obscurity, a touching ballad sung by Barbra Streisand in the mid-'60s on a live album, though Merrill handles it with far more finesse. There are also enjoyable renditions of standards like "Too Marvelous for Words" and "Close Enough for Love." Recommended. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    Natural Sounds 4:02
Written-By – Lan O'Kun
2    Antonio's Song 4:50
Written-By – Michael Franks
3    Vera Cruz 5:00
Written-By – Borges, Nascimento
4    Wave 2:36
Written-By – A.C. Jobim
5    So Many Stars 3:25
Written-By – Bergman-Bergman, Mendes
6    Like A Lover 3:58
Written-By – Bergman-Bergman, Caymmi, Motta
7    Too Marvelous For Words 2:44
Written-By – J. Mercer, R. Whiting
8    How Insensitive 3:30
Written-By – A.C. Jobim, M. Vinicius
9    Casa Forte 2:53
Written-By – Edu Lobo
10    Close Enough For Love 3:45
Written-By – J. Mandel, P. Williams
Credits :
Arranged By – Torrie Zito (pistas: 2 to 4, 7, 8, 10)
Bass – George Mraz (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Cello – Charles McCracken (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Drums – Grady Tate (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Ronnie Zito (pistas: 2, 10)
Drums, Percussion – Dom Um Romao (pistas: 3, 7, 8)
Electric Bass – Francisco Centeno (pistas: 3, 7, 8)
French Horn – Jim Buffington (pistas: 3, 7, 8), John Clark (2) (pistas: 3, 7, 8), Peter Gordon (8) (pistas: 3, 7, 8)
Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,), Joe Beck (pistas: 2, 10)
Harp – Gloria Agostini (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8)
Percussion – Rubens Bassini (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Steve Kroon (pistas: 3, 7, 8)
Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Torrie Zito
Tenor Saxophone – Sal Nistico (pistas: 3, 7, 8)
Trombone – Urbie Green (pistas: 3, 7, 8)
Viola – Judy Giest (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Lamar Alsop (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8)
Violin – Barry Finclair (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Charles Libonve* (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), David Nathieu (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Jerry Tarack (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Jan Mullen (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Lewis Eley (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8), Marvin Morgenstern (pistas: 1, 5, 6, 8)
Vocals, Producer – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - Music Makers (1986) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This is an unusual album, for it features the always flexible singer Helen Merrill and keyboardist Gordon Beck on six trios apiece with either soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy or violinist Stephane Grappelli. Most of the selections are standards (exceptions being Merrill's "Music Makers" and Beck's "And Still She Is With Me"), but all of the songs sound quite fresh, partly due to the unusual instrumentation and also partly because of the players' inventiveness. Highlights include "'Round Midnight" and "When Lights Are Low" (both of which include Lacy) and "A Girl In Calico" and "Lady Be Good" with Grappelli.  Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Round About Midnight 4'54
Written-By – B. Hanighen, C. Williams, T. Monk
2    Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 4'27
Arranged By, Adapted By – H. Merrill
3    A Tout Choisir 2'07
Written-By – J. Holmes
4    When Lights Are Low 3'25
Written-By – B. Carter, S. Williams
5    And Still She Is With Me 4'50
Written-By, Arranged By – G. Beck
6    Music Makers 3'10
Written-By – H. Merrill, T. Zito
7    Laura 4'26
Written-By – D. Raskin, J. Mercer
8    As Time Goes By 5'20
Written-By – H. Hupfeld
9    A Girl In Calico 3'50
Written-By – A. Schwartz
10    Solitude 3'36
Written-By – D. Ellington, E. Delange, I. Mills
11    Lady Be Good 3'37
Written-By – G. Gershwin - I. Gershwin
12    Nuages 3'57
Arranged By – G. Beck
Written-By – D. Reinhardt
Credits :
Piano, Electric Piano – Gordon Beck
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy
Violin – Stephane Grappelli
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL | GIL EVANS - Collaboration (1988) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

In 1956, a year before Miles Ahead, singer Helen Merrill hired the nearly forgotten arranger Gil Evans to write charts for a dozen songs on one of her record dates. In 1987, they had a reunion, and 11 of the 12 numbers (with "Summertime" taking the place of "You're Lucky to Me") were recorded again. Rather than just a re-creation album, this project found Evans writing fresh arrangements, utilizing three very different ten-pieces: one with a woodwind quintet, another with six horns, and a third that included five strings. This inspired outing, one of the most rewarding sets of Helen Merrill's later years, was also one of Evans' last great dates and one of his few post-1972 classics. 57 at the time, Merrill is in superb form on such numbers as "Where Flamingos Fly," "A New Town Is a Blue Town," "By Myself" and "Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home." A highly recommended CD. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
 1     Summertime 4'27
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
2     Where Flamingos Fly 3'07
John Benson Brooks / Harold Courlander / Mischa Spoliansky / El Thea
3     Dream of You 2'51
Sy Oliver
4     I'm a Fool to Want You 4'30
Joel Herron / Frank Sinatra / Jack Wolf
5     Troubled Waters 3'26
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
6     I'm Just a Lucky So and So 3'09
Mack David / Duke Ellington    
7     People Will Say We're in Love 2'49
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers    
8     By Myself 3'38
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz    
9     Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home 4'55
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer    
10     I've Never Seen 4'19
Don Marcotte
11     He Was Too Good to Me 3'15
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
12     A New Town Is a Blue Town 3'35
Richard Adler / Jerry Ross
All Credits

HELEN MERRILL - Bossa Nova In Tokyo (1967-1993) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Fly Me To The Moon    2:58
2    The Boy From Ipanema    3:00
3    The Shadow Of Your Smile    3:00
4    So Danco Samba    2:32
5    La Chanson D'Orphée    3:02
6    Yume Wa Yoru Hiraku    3:04
7    A Man And A Woman    2:44
8    How Insensitive    3:08
9    Johnny Guitar    2:42
10    Agua Di Beber    2:40
11    Yesterday    2:57
12    Sinjite    2:50
Credits :    
Arranged By – Norio Maeda (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 12), Sadao Watanabe (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
Featuring – Sadao Watanabe Quintet And Strings
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - Clear Out Of This World (1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Although Helen Merrill is often thought of as a singer from the 1950s (when she made her initial reputation), she has stayed aware of more recent developments in jazz. On this superior CD, Merrill is accompanied by pianist Roger Kellaway, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Terry Clarke; three songs add trumpeter Tom Harrell, while two others have Wayne Shorter on tenor or soprano. Whether performing veteran standards (such as "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" and "Some of These Days") or more modern pieces, Merrill's haunting voice and her all-star sidemen uplift and revitalize the material. A consistently memorable set full of subtle surprises. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1    Out Of This World 6'17
Music By – Harold Arlen
Words By – Johnny Mercer
2    Not Like This 3'03
Words By, Music By – Jeremy Lubbock
3    I'm All Smiles 7'09
Music By – Michael Leonard
Words By – Herbert Martin
4    When I Grow Too Old To Dream 6'35
Music By – Sigmund Romberg
Words By – Oscar Hammerstein II
5    Some Of These Days 3'58
Words By, Music By – Shelton Brooks
6    Maybe 5'37
Music By – Roger Kellaway
Words By – K. Lawrence Donham
7    A Tender Thing Is Love 4'16
Music By – Torrie Zito
Words By – Jerry Ginsberg
8    Soon It's Gonna Rain 4'40
Music By – Harvey Schmidt
Words By – Tom Jones
9    Willow Weep For Me 7'44
Words By, Music By – Ann Ronell
Credits :    
Bass – Red Mitchell
Drums – Terry Clarke
Piano, Arranged By – Roger Kellaway
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter (tracks: 1, 9)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Tom Harrell (tracks: 3, 4, 8)
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL ft. STAN GETZ - Just Friends (1989) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Veteran singer Helen Merrill is greatly assisted on this fine set by the warm tenor of Stan Getz, who was always a perfect choice for accompanying vocalists. With pianist Joachim Kuhn (replaced by Torrie Zito on three of the nine songs), bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark and drummer Daniel Humair completing the group, Merrill sounds quite inspired on such selections as "Just Friends," "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Yesterdays" and even "It's Not Easy Being Green." Virtually all of Helen Merrill's recordings are special events because of the planning and intelligent ideas that go into them; this recommended set is no exception. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1     Cavatina 5:47
Cleo Laine / Stanley Myers    
2     It Never Entered My Mind 6:12
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3     Just Friends 4:38
John Klenner / Sam M. Lewis
4     It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) 6:01
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
5     Baby Ain't I Good to You 2:50
Don Redman
6     It's Not Easy Being Green 2:54
Joe Raposo
7     If You Go Away 4:02
Jacques Brel / Rod McKuen
8     Yesterdays 6:43
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
9     Music Makers 5:17
Helen Merrill / Torrie Zito
Credits :    
Bass – Jean-François Jenny-Clark
Drums – Daniel Humair
Piano – Joachim Kühn (tracks: 1 to 4, 8, 9), Torrie Zito (tracks: 5 to 7)
Tenor Saxophone – Stan Getz
Vocals – Helen Merrill

HELEN MERRILL - Brownie : Homage to Clifford Brown (1994-2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

40 years after recording a classic album with trumpeter Clifford Brown, singer Helen Merrill paid tribute to the late Brownie, who died tragically in 1956. Utilizing on various tracks trumpeters Tom Harrell, Wallace Roney, Roy Hargrove and Lew Soloff, as well as pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis, Merrill performs a variety of tunes, most of which were associated with Brown. There are plenty of unexpected surprises on the date, including passages where the trumpet ensemble performs parts of Brownie's original solos; also noteworthy are Harrell's unaccompanied flugelhorn version of "Joy Spring," Barron's solo piano rendition of "Memories of You" and touching moments like "I'll Be Seeing You," "I Remember Clifford" and "Gone With the Wind." Producer Torrie Zito sometimes adds some atmospheric and effective synthesizer, and in addition to the standards, Zito contributed a new original, "Brownie." Throughout the often emotional date, Helen Merrill is heard in top form, giving plenty of feeling to the lyrics while leaving room for the guest trumpeters. Recommended. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1     Your Eyes 6:17
Helen Merrill
2     Daahoud 2:58
Clifford Brown
3     Born to Be Blue 5:16
Mel Tormé / Robert Wells
4     I Remember Clifford 7:00
Benny Golson / Jon Hendricks
5     Joy Spring 3:59
Clifford Brown    
6     I'll Remember April 7:14
Gene DePaul / Pat Johnston / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye
7     Don't Explain 6:18
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.
8     Brownie 5:04
Torrie Zito
9     You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 4:33
Cole Porter    
10     I'll Be Seeing You 4:53
Sammy Fain / Irving Kahal
11     Memories of You 3:52
Eubie Blake / Andy Razaf    
12     Gone With the Wind 2:28
Herbert Magidson / Allie Wrubel
13     Largo 2:55
Samuel Barber / Antonin Dvorák
Credits :    
Bass – Rufus Reid
Drums – Victor Lewis
Piano – Kenny Barron
Trumpet – Lew Soloff, Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Wallace Roney
Vocals – Helen Merrill